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Edith's Streets

This blog records notes about London (and Greater London) streets - what the buildings are, what the background is. These pages have been compiled over many years and from many sources - its not intended to copy from other people's work.Each post represents a square on the Ordnance Survey grid -and the vast majority of information is culled from map based source material - Ordnance Survey, A/Z, etc.

On some inner city squares only a quarter of each square is done because of the volume of material involved

Please add your comments and corrections - I am sure there are lots of mistakes - and my idea is to build up a correct record interactively

Red- it is (hopefully) there nowBlue - its interesting but its goneNo colour, same as the text - don't know. needs to be verified

Thursday, 11 February 2010

Thames Tributary Ravensbourne -Keston

CommonsideChurch Rooms – was site of Olive's Mill. a two-storey steam flour mill and outbuildings of the 1870s. It is on the site of old post mill. brick and flint with a, corn store, corn shed, and old millstones used as paving.. It had a short life as a windmill and was steam from 1878. Now three roomsKeston Church. Built on the site of a Romano British Cemetery. The earlier church was found below following an excavation. Nave and chancel are early English. Has a small bell-gable. In the nave is a blocked doorway and blocked arch to a tower. Painting of Aaron From a 18th altarpiece. Stained glass window showing Love, by Morris & Co., 1909; chancel windows 1952 by James Blackford. Monument: George Kirkpatrick 1838 - A bald pilgrim kneels holding a large cross, while a young woman in classical draperies holds the Bible for him to read. Churchyard. Grave of Mrs. Craik, who wrote John Halifax Gentleman.

Fox Hill
An old gravel pit at the foot of the hill showed that the river had once been at that level.

Lakes RoadRavensbourne Meadows. these damp meadows slope towards the valley of the Ravensbourne. They belonged to the Tate & Lyle Ravensbourne Estate but were acquired by the Borough in the 1970s. The clay soil is very damp towards allowing lush wetland vegetation. The ponds support amphibians and snakes are also recorded.

Keston Common
One of the earliest commons to be protected by Parliament in 1865.Ponds. Reservoirs near the edge of the common were dug for John Ward during the 19th to supply his house with fresh water. The two large ponds were created by damming a stream which once fed the river Ravensbourne. The source of the Ravensbourne in the ponds, They are called Caesar's Well but Unlikely to be anything to do with Caesar.
Common - relic heathland which includes a rare valley bog. There is some encroachment by scrub and non-native species. The heathland is dominated by heather and wavy hair grass and there is gorse and birch scrub around former conifer planting. the sphagnum bog which supports rare bog asphodel and sundew.